A Transformative Tribulation
by Loveisforever101
Summary: When Varian the alchemist gets kidnapped and forced to work for a cranky sorcerer in a faraway castle, he longs to find a way to return home. Will a quirky servant girl be the key to helping him escape, or will she get him in even deeper trouble? (Based off of characters from the show Tangled: The Series) Feel free to let me know what you think of my story, I love reviews! :)
1. Chapter 1

A Transformative Tribulation - Chapter One

 _He'd always wanted to work for a king. But not like this. He'd always wanted to be an apprentice. But not like this. He'd always wanted his talents to be appreciated. But not like this._

The sound of loud knocking woke him fully from his foggy sleep.

"Varian! Frizfrazzle the Sorcerer needs your assistance in ten minutes," someone called through the door. "Someone will be here to escort you there shortly."

Varian forced himself to sit up. The white sunlight streaming through his window hurt his eyes.

The door pounded again. "Varian?"

"I'll be ready!" Varian responded. He mumbled grumpily to himself as he got to his feet and made up the sad sackcloth mattress and threadbare blankets that consisted of his bed. He got dressed and slipped on the sorcerer's cloak that they insisted he wear. It was becoming depressingly familiar, just like the rest of his morning routine that had started about a month ago. It had all happened so fast. One moment he'd been enjoying life in his small but beloved village, and the next, he'd found himself snatched away in the night by a shady stranger who'd sold him to a faraway king as a "gifted sorcerer" who could be an apprentice and assistant to their aging sorcerer.

"I'm not even a sorcerer!" Varian muttered, splashing water over his face. "Those buffoons can't tell the difference between a skilled alchemist and a babbling fool in a dress."

"Apprentice!" a voice boomed through the door.

"Yes?" Varian yelped, startled.

"Have you finished readying yourself? Or do you need to spend more time polishing those shiny goggles of yours?"

Varian frowned. It was Derric again, his least favorite guard. He rubbed a cloth over his face and whipped open the door. "I'm _ready."_

Varian's heart sank when he realized Derric was leading him to the west dungeon. Frizfrazzle was doing his transformation experiments on unlucky prisoners again. He was using a mixture of magic and strange chemicals, the properties of which he refused to divulge to Varian until he'd "proved his loyalty". Apparently, he was trying to find ways to create the most frightening and nasty creatures that could be used by the king against his enemies.

"Variable! There you are!" Frizfrazzle exclaimed, waving him over. He was standing at a narrow, wide table facing a large jail cell designed to hold multiple prisoners. As Varian approached, the man shoved a big, battered book over towards the boy's direction.

"I'm trying out some new combinations today," he said, adjusting the container of multi-colored glass bottles on the table. Some were labeled while others were not. "Keep track of the results. Don't forget a _detail!"_

"It's Varian," Varian mumbled as he dipped his quill-pen in ink and turned to the proper page.

Frizfrazzle pulled out several bottles and glanced over at him with watery blue eyes. His entire appearance was disheveled, from his worn, tattered cloak to his balding head graced with a few bedraggled white strands of hair. "What did you say, boy?"

Varian tried again, but was interrupted by guards bringing in the first prisoner.

"No!" the man hollered, trying to kick the guards that were bringing him in. "I won't be turned into a stupid boar again! I won't!"

"Oh shut it!" Frizfrazzle snapped. "You're lucky King Jeffery hasn't done away with you already. At least here you can finally be of use to your kingdom."

Varian sighed and silently noted the day and hour at the top of the page. It was going to be another long day.

It was late afternoon when the need arose for a new test subject. Occasionally, the formulas would malfunction and cause "side-effects", such as animal features that wouldn't go away, even after the "normalizing" formula had been used on them. Varian winced and looked down as they dragged the screaming man away. _Snakes for arms? I think that's the worst mutation I've seen so far._

His head snapped up as a high-pitched, feminine voice echoed through the stony chamber. "Greetings, good sirs! How are you today? I'm fine! Splendid, actually!"

Varian blinked slowly at the young woman who was being escorted into the room. She wore a simple white servant's dress and scuffed brown shoes. She had a cloud of dirty blond hair, freckles all over her face, and bright blue eyes.

Varian blinked again. He'd seen a few female prisoners brought in, but none as young – or as cheerful – as this girl.

"Who in god's name is this?" Frizfrazzle growled. The guards looked at one another. "She…uh…volunteered," one of them offered.

"What?" Frizfrazzle peered at the girl suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"I'm a servant here," the girl said. "Have been for years."

"What are you doing here? Looking for the dishroom?"

"No! I volunteered!"

"Why?" Frizfrazzle spluttered. "Go back to your duties in the kitchen or chambers or wherever you are assigned to…"

The girl didn't seem to hear him. She looked at Varian and waved. "Hello Varian!" she said in a sugary voice. "How are _you_ today?"

Varian blushed. "How do you know my name?"

She giggled and cocked her head sideways. "I've heard all about you, Varian. So, what'cha gonna turn me into? A beetle?"

Varian shrugged and pretended to be focused on the book in front of him. He didn't know how to deal with this sudden, unexpected attention from a stranger.  
"….send her away!" Frizfrazzle finished. The guards hesitated.

"But sir…we _are_ running low on prisoners."

Frizfrazzle glared at the girl, who was staring at Varian and fluttering her eyelashes. "Fine. Put her in the cell."

The guards unlocked the door and ushered her inside. The girl stood in the middle looking over every nook and cranny. "So _this_ is a cell," she said.

"I've seen stable-boys with more sense," Frizfrazzle muttered, looking through his bottles.

"Tell me, please, what are you going to turn me into?" the girl asked in a voice still way too cheerful for her situation.

A cruel grin spread across Frizfrazzle's face. "A hideous beast." With hands trembling from severe arthritis, he handed bottles labeled "snake" and "raven" to Varian. "Mix these up," he commanded.

Reluctantly Varian mixed the bottles into a third bottle, lifted it into the air, and threw it through the bars of the cell, where it smashed on the floor and released its chemicals onto the girl. Within moments she had transformed into a small dark creature.

"What is that?" Frizfrazzle exclaimed, peering into the cell. A beautiful ebony swan with eyes like blue gems stared back at him. She flapped her wings and skipped around the cell.

Varian actually felt laughter bubble up in his throat. He'd never seen a swam skip before. Well, he'd never seen _any_ animal skip before, and it looked ridiculously silly.

"What is it doing?" Frizfrazzle grabbed a normalizing vial of purple liquid and thrust it at Varian. "Quick, make it normal so we can try something more frightening."

As soon as the girl was human again, she beamed at Varian. "That was so exciting! You're wonderful at this, Varian! My name's Willowyn, by the way."

Varian blushed. "Uh…I like your name, uh, Willowyn."

Frizfrazzle thrust two more bottles in his direction, labeled "wolf" and "bear". Varian winced. He quickly mixed the formula and threw it into the cell. As soon as it released its chemicals, the girl expanded into a massive wolf-like creature with thick tawny hair and familiar piercing blue eyes. The creature pranced around the cell and howled.

"Alack! She's still beautiful!" Frizfrazzle grabbed two more vials for Varian. "Try these next!"

The hawk and lion bottle turned Willowyn into a magnificent silver and gold creature that looked like the storybook creature known as a "gryphon". The gryphon shrieked and spread out her wings with one foot lifted as though she was posing.

By now Varian could barely hold back his laughter, and Frizfrazzle's growing hysteria wasn't helping.

"Fie on you, wench!" Frizfrazzle snapped. He pulled out the snake bottle again and gave it to Varian. "Sometimes simple is best."

Grinning, Varian threw a normalizing bottle into the cell, followed by the snake bottle. From the cloud of chemicals emerged a milk-white snake with large blue eyes and a friendly smile. It was somehow actually cute.

Frizfrazzle's eyes bulged out of his head. He grabbed a normalizing potion and flung it at the snake, changing it back to Willowyn. "I'm not done with you yet, girl! And stop laughing!" he yelled at Varian. By this time, however, even the guards were breaking into laughter.

"That's it!" Frizfrazzle snarled, grabbing potion after potion with shaking hands and mixing them into a bottle, spilling chemicals onto the table and making a mess.

"So…um…if you ever want to come visit me, I can give you the directions to my part of the servant's quarters," Willowyn said, pulling a piece of parchment out of a fold in her dress. She folded it into a bird-like shape and sent it sailing through the air into Varian's arms.

"M'lady, you can give me directions too," one of the guards said flirtatiously, lifting his visor.

"Not interested," Willowyn said dismissively. "Besides, you sound too old for me anyways."

The guard muttered to himself, crossed his arms, and shot Varian a glare. Varian stuffed the parchment into his pocket and looked away. _At least you're not a prisoner like me,_ he thought. _I couldn't even visit her if I wanted to._

He was jarred out of his thoughts by Frizfrazzle, who lifted a bottle high into the air and violently threw it at Willowyn. She dove out of the way and it smashed into the wall, creating a huge cloud of brown smoke.  
Varian's stomach clenched. "How many bottles did you mix?" he asked his master sharply.

"Enough, hopefully," Frizfrazzle growled. As the smoke cleared, Varian gasped.

A giant scaly beast filled the entire cell, its body pressing against the bars. A gurgling noise came from the blue and purple creature and a burst of flame suddenly erupted from one side of the cell, turning the bars red with heat.

Varian and the others watched with gaping mouths as the dragoness melted more of the bars and then pressed against them. They bent, giving her room to squeeze out of the too-tight quarters.

"I made a dragon," Frizfrazzle breathed. "I made a _dragon_!" His hands mindlessly grasped at his hair. "The king will be so proud of me!"

"Sorcerer Frizfrazzle!" one of the guards yelled. "Should we do something? It could be dangerous!"

The dragoness plopped down in front of Varian, shaking the ground underfoot. She licked his face and chest with her long, cold, purple tongue and blinked at him. Varian staggered back, wiping at his face and shuddering.

Frizfrazzle scrutinized the dragoness. "Can you understand me, beast?"

She nodded calmly.

"Good. Stay put and we won't harm you." He turned to the guards. "I want to show this beast to the king. But I'd like it to be chained first, just to be safe."

"Sir, we don't have chains large enough for a dragon."

"Then have the blacksmith make some!"

Not long after one of the guards left, the dungeon door opened by guards on the outside and a finely dressed servant entered. "Frizfrazzle the Sorcerer, you are summoned by the king to give an account of your talents before his esteemed guests, the Lord Frederick and Lady Isabelle."

Frizfrazzle looked up from words that he was scratching frantically into the log book's next page. "Oh…um…of course. However, I…" he looked from the messenger to the dragon. The messenger followed his gaze and turned white.

"I hope you are not going too far with your enchantments," he said. "You know how the king feels about-

"Everything is under control," Frizfrazzle interrupted. "The beast is completely tame and I have guards around." He finished writing in the book and closed it. "Varian, clean up this messy table and take measurements of the beast. I will be back very soon. _Don't_ mess with any of my vials, understand?"

"Yes sir," Varian replied shakily. He'd heard stories of dragons, but this was the first time he'd seen one in person, and it was staring at him with enormous ice-blue eyes.

Before Frizfrazzle left, he gestured to gain the dragoness' attention. " _If_ you keep still and don't cause trouble, I will give you my apprentice Varias for an entire day to have as you wish."

"Uh…I don't agree to that," Varian spoke up, but his master strode through the door without a backwards glance.

Varian sighed and began wiping up the mess with rags, being careful not to touch the chemicals with his bare skin. At first the dragoness watched every move he made, but soon she moved over to the remaining guard in the room and began licking him with her giant cold tongue.

"Ack!" the guard yelped, backing away from her. "I'll be outside with the others," he told Varian. "Just yell…if she…attacks you."

Varian shivered as the door slammed shut, leaving him alone with the massive dragoness. He grabbed a measuring rod from nearby and forced himself to walk up to her.

"I-I'm going to measure you now," he stammered. "Please don't lick me…or…do anything else."

The dragoness sat like a relaxed cat and nodded, her eyes never leaving him. Warily Varian approached even closer and began measuring her, starting with her tail. After a while, realizing that the dragoness was complying with his every command, such as stretching out her tail, neck, and limbs when he wanted to measure them, he began to relax and appreciate her beauty. She had scales that ranged in color from every shade of purple to every shade of blue in dappled patterns on her sides. She had bright teal, curling horns and a thin, iridescent fin that stretched from her nose to her tail. Her wings were iridescent as well. She also had huge claws on each of her four feet.

Varian had only measured her for a few minutes when the dragoness rested her head and closed her eyes. After that, any attempts of his asking her to move failed.

 _I guess all that transforming made her tired. I'm tired too._ Varian slumped to the ground and breathed out a long sigh. A thought suddenly came to his mind and he took out the crumpled piece of parchment. Looking one more time to make sure the dragoness' eyes were closed, he opened the paper and read it.

Instantly his heart jumped into his throat. These weren't directions at all. The parchment read,

 _You don't know me, but I know much about you, Varian. Servants find out everything. I had to put on an act to get close to you and give you this message. I wanted to let you know I'm coming up with a plan to help you escape. I know how it feels to be snatched away from your home, and I refuse to let you suffer through what I went through. If you allow yourself to trust me, I think I can find a way for you to escape._

Varian's head twisted back to the dragoness. Her eye was open and watching him.

He stood up, his legs wobby. It was so much to take in at once.

"You…you're trying to help me escape?"

The dragoness nodded. She rose and walked over to the table where the bottles containing the normalizing liquid were held. She nudged one of the bottles and looked back at Varian.

"Wait…you want me to turn you human? But Frizfrazzle will be _furious_ with me!" Varian stammered, reaching her and placing a protective hand on the case of bottles. "I don't see how that's going to help!"

The dragoness grabbed the parchment in his other hand gently with her teeth. She peered at it with one eye cocked downwards, then placed it on the floor and ran a talon underneath two words: "trust me".

Varian swallowed hard. He wanted desperately to be able to escape, get back to his home, and see his dad again, but he wasn't sure he could trust this girl. Had she really been putting on an act this whole time? What if she was putting on a separate act right now for some nefarious purpose? Who knew who she really was?

The dragoness nuzzled his shoulder gently and blew softly into his hair, as though reassuring him. His mouth curved into a hesitant smile and he pulled out a bottle.

"Alright, Willowyn. I trust you."


	2. Chapter 2

A Transformative Tribulation - Chapter Two

Varian opened the bottle and splashed its contents onto the dragon. Within a minute the towering creature had turned into the slender form of the servant girl.

"Thank you, Varian," she said, giving him the first serious smile he'd seen.

"So…you were putting on an act this whole time?" Varian asked, picking up the parchment and stuffing it in his pocket so the guards wouldn't find it.

Her smile grew amused. "Yes. I do think you're pretty cute though."

Varian straightened and brushed his hair out of his face bashfully. "Um…thanks. Now…are we going to escape? I'm going to be in so much trouble if the guards get back and-

"Yes, yes, I've got a plan! This wasn't what I had in mind, but I've learned in my life that you have to take what you can get. So, here's what we need to do – find a potion that can change us into some kind of flying creature. Then we each should grab a normalizing potion and fly out of that window up there." She gestured to a tiny window high up in the wall to the left of the cell. It was the only unbarred window in the room.

"Wait, you're coming with me?" Varian asked. "But…why?"

A cloud passed across Willowyn's face. "Because I never wanted to be here in the first place. I lost my parents at a young age and grew up under the care of a kind family. But one day I was taken away to work here against my will. I always dreamed I could eventually escape or be freed and go back to live with them, but a few years ago I found out that they fell upon hard times and had to move. I have no idea where they are now, but I've still wanted to leave. I don't like being cooped up inside a castle – I love the open air and the outdoors. I haven't climbed a tree in…forever."

"You could come home with me, if I could find my way home," Varian said, his heart beating faster with hope. He fumbled through the bottles to find a label that would meet their needs.

"Some servants told me where you'd come from and which direction it lies," Willowyn said. "I can guide you there the best I can."

"Wonderful!" Varian picked a bottle off of the rack. "A raven should be big enough to carry a bottle. Stand close to me and I'll try to change us both."

As soon as Willowyn did so, he emptied the contents onto them both. Instantly he felt a funny tingling feeling run from the tips of his toes all the way up to his head. All of a sudden it felt like he was tumbled downwards. The hard stone floor hit his back, but feathers softened the impact. Varian stared at two thin, clawed crow feet sticking out of his torso. _I'm a crow. I'm a crow!_

There was a strange ringing noise in his ears and it took him a moment to remember where the initial sound had come from.

 _Oh no! I dropped the glass bottle when I transformed!_

A guard threw open the doors. "Apprentice? Are you alright?"

 _I need to get out of here._ Varian scrambled to his feet and looked for Willowyn. She was on the table, grabbing a bottle. Varian flapped his wings as hard as he could in an attempt to fly. It was more difficult than he'd thought it would be. He tried running as he flapped his wings and got slightly air-born before crashing onto the ground.

"Where are they?" one of the guards boomed.

"They've turned into crows!" the other exclaimed.

Varian looked up at Willowyn, who had already reached the window, a bottle in her hands. He wanted to cry out with anguish as one of the guards came after him while the other ran towards a broom in the corner.

"Varian!" Willowyn squawked. Apparently, as a creature of the same species, Varian could understand her.  
"I can't make it!" Varian cried. Just as the guard reached him, Willowyn dive-bombed the man, pecking at his face and flapping her wings crazily.

Varian ran under his legs and launched himself towards the table, flapping sloppily but managing to stay airborne this time. He grabbed a bottle and threw himself back into the air as the second guard came after him with a broom.

"Ack!" the second guard yelled as Willowyn turned her attention to him. "Get away, demon bird!"

Varian flew towards the window, just missing the hands of the first guard. His heart pounded a million miles an hour as freedom grew larger and larger in front of him.

There was a loud thump and then a crash. Varian looked back, hovering just before the window. Willowyn was sprawled on the floor, feathers everywhere, soaked with the liquid from the broken bottle she had been carrying. "No!" he cawed.

It was too late. His friend had already transformed back into a human. The guards immediately pounced on her.

"What are you doing? Get out of here!" Willowyn shouted.

Varian gave one more anguished caw and flew through the window, still gripping the bottle in his hands. The wind felt wonderful as it blew through his feathers, and the treetops beyond the castle wall stretched out before him like an inviting green carpet. But the freedom he had so desperately longed for felt empty.

Varian soared out of eyesight of any possible archers and landed on a tree near the outskirts of the wall. He looked down at the bright purple liquid contained in the bottle clutched in one foot. Everything in him wanted to get away from the castle as far as possible. He could figure out his way home, he was smart enough. But as the sky faded from blue to black, he found himself unable to move. Instead, he listened to the guards shouting back and forth to one another and studied the outside of the castle. _I'm too tired to fly anywhere right now anyways. I'll just spend the night in this tree, and then tomorrow I'll figure out what to do._

His eyes drifted shut. His foot grasping the branch, along with his other one holding the bottle, remained locked in place, due to the marvelous design of the muscles in his feet and legs.

 _What would Dad think of me right now?_ he thought. _What would he tell me to do?_

A memory came to mind of a time they had been arguing about one of his inventions. _Varian,_ his father had said, _what I care about most is that, regardless of what you do, you prioritize the safety of those around you first and foremost. People matter more than machines._

Varian sighed. _I know you weren't talking about something like this, but I'm sure you'd see it the same._

It was decided then. He _would_ go back and save Willowyn. But just _how_ he would save her remained to be determined.


	3. Chapter 3

It was just after sunset when the sound of a trumpet blared through the forest, startling him awake. He heard an announcer bellowing, "This is a proclamation by the king. If the escaped apprentice by the name of "Varian" does not return or is not returned to our king by tomorrow by noon tomorrow, the servant who helped him escape will be hanged in the castle courtyard." The trumpets blared again and the announcer repeated his message, then the woods were finally silent once more.

Varian shuddered. _Now I definitely have to do something. And fast. Maybe I shouldn't wait 'til tomorrow to think of something._ He looked down at the bottle in his hand and an idea started to form in his mind.

Carefully holding onto the bottle with one foot, he thrust himself into the air with his other foot before quickly grabbing the bottle with both feet. His flying was still clumsy, but at least he stayed airborne. _I think I know where Frizfrazzle keeps his potions._

Thankful for the night camouflage his black feathers provided him, he flew along the castle, trying to visualize the inner layout of the castle in his mind. This might have been a tricky task for someone who did not possess a powerful brain like Varian's. But Varian found it after only ten minutes. _That corridor led to that window facing the inner courtyard, so then the tower would be right here, and just beyond that would be…perfect!_

There were countless small windows to choose from, but he only made his way towards one. As carefully as he could, he flew up to the window and landed on the edge. The bottle clanked a little against the stone, but thankfully the room was dark and empty. He looked around at all the supplies until he saw a shelf full of potions against the wall. His heart leapt as he saw the "spell" book on the shelf just below them. _This might work. This just might work._ He glided to the floor. With his beak he pulled the cork from the bottle and spilled its contents onto himself. He transformed back into a human, his arms and legs hitting the floor with loud thumps. _I hope no one heard that,_ he thought, freezing in place. He waited for an eternity, but couldn't hear any shouts or approaching footsteps.

 _Alright, Varian, you've got this._ He grabbed the "spell" book from the table and flipped to the latest page, where Frizfrazzle had scribbled down the rough recipe of potions that he'd mixed to create the dragon. A dying candle on the wall gave him just enough light to make out the words.

"Alligator, ram, snake, bat, phoenix...wow." Varian took out the specific potions matching the creatures described in the list and poured them, one by one, into an empty glass tube. Frizfrazzle had written down estimates of the amounts, and he tried to match them as well as possible.

The heavy, even footsteps of a guard swiftly approached the door. Startled, Varian nearly let go of the glass tube in his hand and took deep breaths to calm himself. _He's just passing by. Stay calm._

Thankfully, the footsteps continued on down the hallway, and Varian allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. He placed the bottles back on the shelf slowly so they wouldn't clank together, leaving the mixture he'd made, along with another raven potion. He stared at it, going over his plan in his mind to make sure he was accounting for everything.

 _This is my best chance at saving her and getting us out of here. I'm sure of it._

He poured the raven mix onto him and quickly placed the bottle onto the table to avoid the disaster that had happened last time. Within seconds he'd transformed back into a raven. It was a struggle to get airborne again, but once he did, he wasted no time grabbing the bottle and fleeing back through the window.


	4. Chapter 4

She had wondered whether he would come back. But it was noon and the guards were at her cell. Maybe he hadn't heard the message, though it had been proclaimed at the castle and in all the surrounding towns. Maybe he _had_ heard, but he didn't want to turn himself in. She didn't want to admit that she was hoping he would come back. She'd told him to escape, after all.

But…

She wished she didn't have to die.

Now she was ascending the scaffold. Now someone was placing a noose around her neck. Now the eyes of the gathered servants and guards were upon her.

 _Well, at least now I'll get to meet Mom and Dad._

The proclaimer was noisily saying something, but his words were strangely muffled. All of a sudden she heard a scream.

There, landing clumsily on the wall just outside the inner castle wall surrounding the courtyard, was a large blue and gray dragon with light blue eyes. He swayed, caught his balance, and then scanned the crowd below. His eyes met hers. Then, he roared.

The crowd scattered, screaming. The guards gathered together in groups, some shouting directions. King Jeffery shouted "Kill that dragon!" before a troop of guards escorted him into the castle. Another, more shrill voice was screaming, "Variable! You numbskull! How _dare_ you!"

Willowyn smiled.

The dragon, or Varian, leapt into the air and glided shakily towards her.

"Kill her! Kill her now!" Frizfrazzle screamed.

Willowyn stopped smiling.

The executioner, still standing at the lever to her right, grabbed it and pulled. The trapdoor opened and Willowyn fell through just as Varian reached the platform, shaking it violently as he landed.

She heard a loud snap and thought it was her neck, but the next moment she was sprawled on the ground. Her body sore and bruised but her heart surging with hope, she looked from the broken rope end to Varian standing on the platform above her.

"Varian!" she shouted. "Let's get out of here, NOW!"

"Shoot it!" some of the guards were yelling.

Varian leapt to the ground, grabbed Willowyn gently in his mouth, and broke into a run, just as arrows started to fly. He launched himself into the air with all four of his legs and just managed to skirt the castle wall. He slammed into the outer wall, grabbing it simultaneously with his front claws and heaving himself onto it and then back into the air. When the shouts and screams back at the castle had faded into the distance, Varian flew for a minute more before landing at a giant oak tree, dropping Willowyn on the ground, and retrieving a purple bottle from a hole high in the tree.

"Don't change yet!" Willowyn said frantically. "You could fly us to your home first."

Varian nodded calmly. He brushed away some leaves and scratched the words _home direction?_ into the dirt.

Still dazed from her ordeal, Willowyn took a few minutes to think, then pointed west the best she could tell. Still holding the bottle in his mouth, Varian lowered himself to the ground and tucked in his wings so she could climb on easily. She settled herself, grabbed onto his neck, and giggled with delight.

"I've never ridden a dragon before. This is going to be fun!"

Varian smiled the best a dragon can smile and started into a steady trot. With less difficulty than the last few times, he launched himself into the air and gained altitude.

At first, towns and villages passed below them. Willowyn could even catch a few screams as they passed over some. But eventually the land turned into spread out houses and farmland. In the distance, hills could be seen, a soft blue against the pinkening sky.

"It's been so long since I've been outside of the castle and seen the countryside. Varian, are there rolling hills where you live? I love rolling hills. I used to see them all the time where I lived."

Varian nodded.

Willowyn smiled and tears sprang to her eyes. "Your home feels like my home already."

She laid her head against Varian's neck, avoiding the spines, and let the rhythmic beats of his wings lull her to sleep.

It was nearly sunset by the time they finally reached familiar territory. Varian swiveled his head to-and-fro, taking in everything eagerly, which woke Willowyn up.

"We probably shouldn't land right at your house," she warned him, not wanting him to get reckless with his excitement. "Your parents might freak out."

As soon as he flew over the wall separating the lands of Corona from the wilderness, Varian coasted into a gentle circle and then landed in a forest close to a road. As soon as Willowyn slid to the ground, he broke the bottle with his claws and smeared the liquid onto himself.

It was amusing seeing the massive form of the dragon shrink into the short, shrimpy figure of a boy.

Willowyn helped Varian to his feet.

"You look exhausted."

Varian tried to brush some dirt off of his face, but only succeeded in smearing it in more.

"Well, heh, never flown that far before."

"You're saying you've flown before?" Willowyn laughed.

"Well, I've flown as a crow, but…I see what you mean." Varian laughed too, but was cut short in surprise as Willowyn hugged him.

"Thanks for saving me, by the way. I will be eternally grateful."

Varian blushed bright red. "I-it was nothing. I couldn't just, y'know, _leave_ you there!"

"Well, some people could," Willowyn said softly. "And some people would. It's nice to know somebody thought I was worth the risk."

Varian smiled. "Don't forget you helped me first."

Willowyn grinned. "True. Now, are you ready to head home? I'm starving."

The bashful look dropped from Varian's face and his gaze unfocused. "Yes. Of course."

Willowyn studied his face, concerned, as they began walking down the road.

"What are you worried about? King Jeffery coming after you?"

"No. I'll be more careful from now on, plus I'll let the princess know I may need protection. She's sort of my friend, actually. It's pretty cool." A little smirk crossed his face. "And as for Frizfrazzle and his experiments…I destroyed his book and messed with his potions. There's not much he can do with them now."

"Then what's troubling you?"

Worry lines creasing his forehead once more. "I'm worried about my dad. We…had a fight the evening before I was kidnapped. He said I was working on inventions that were causing more harm than good, and that I needed to focus more on getting out into the public square and making friends. Most of what he said wasn't even wrong, but my pride was more than a little hurt, and I…sort of…yelled at him." He sighed. "He probably thinks I ran away. He might even be _glad_ about it. He might…even be disappointed...that I'm back. And what if he doesn't believe I got kidnapped?"

Willowyn put a hand on his shoulder. "You're worrying too much about this. It sounds to me like your dad cares about you."

"Yeah, I know," Varian said, but he still sounded apprehensive.

Not long after they reached a cute little town, Varian pointed at a nice-looking house near the center. "That's it. That's my house."

Willowyn shivered with excitement. "I still can't believe we made it."

They went up to the door, and after a little hesitation, Varian knocked multiple times.

No answer. Not even a sign of life in the house.

"Oh gods," Varian mumbled, grasping at his hair anxiously. "He doesn't want to talk to me. Or-maybe Jeffery had one of his men take him, or kill him, or-

"Varian! What are you doing back here! I thought you were gone for good. We all did."

"One-eyed Rodrick!" Varian ran towards a short, scruffy, sour-looking man pulling a cart nearby. "Where's my dad? Is he okay?"

"Ohhhhh, _now_ you care? Had enough of the wild life in New Corona or wherever you ran off to? Did they not like your inventions either? Tell me, was that before, or _after_ you almost killed someone with one of them?"

He started to turn away but Varian grabbed the cart handle to stop him. "Please, Rodrick! I need to know!"

He huffed a sigh. "'e's out in Sarrow field, inspecting some queer black rocks some farmer was complaining about."

"Thank you!"

The sun was fully below the orange horizon now, turning the trees into black silhouettes. Varian wasted no time in racing off down the road, Willowyn struggling to keep up.

"Does Rodrick hate you?"

"Yes. But he hates everybody."

Willowyn laughed, but Varian remained silent. After only a mile they reached the field. Willowyn could make out a lone figure standing in the field, writing something down on a piece of paper.

"Dad!" Varian cried out. The figure turned, still only a blur in the dying light.

Willowyn watched as her friend broke into a run and raced towards the middle of the field towards his father. His small gray form stopped in front of the larger one, and for a moment Willowyn's heart tightened painfully in her chest. Then the two embraced in a tight hug.

For a minute she remembered all the days and nights she'd longed to see her family again, and the bitter sorrow that had eventually sunk in when she'd realized that would never happen. But it was this pain that drove her to help this boy in the first place.

She squinted. Was Varian…gesturing to her?

"No need to be shy, child," his father bellowed.

Willowyn breathed out a teary sigh and ran towards them, ready to introduce herself. But as soon as she reached the two, they pulled her into their hug.

"Thank you for saving my son," the father said. "You will have a place to stay with us until you find a new home."

Willowyn smiled. _I already found it._


End file.
